Business,
Marketing,
Brand Development

Some people in marketing are questioning the relevancy of print advertising in this digital age and asking if they should still include it in their branding and marketing strategy.

Think about it; when was the last time you flipped through the pages of a magazine or opened up a newspaper? Our best guess is when you were waiting in your dentist’s lounge or when a fresh paper came with your hotel room service breakfast.

Building a brand image that is powerful and creating brand awareness is undoubtedly your key concerns. Before you focus all your efforts on developing a digital marketing and branding strategy, it may surprise you to learn that print is far from being obsolete.

It’s true that it’s not what it used to be. While the digital revolution has killed off a majority of print publications, many have survived. And the strong ones that have endured do so by developing an incredible following who remain loyal to both their brand and the printed word.

For the same reason that many people still prefer the feel of a real book in their hand as they read the latest John Grisham book versus scrolling through a Kindle, a niche market still exists for those who make a habit out of purchasing the latest issue of their favourite magazine publication.


In fact, despite the affordability and widespread use of smartphones and other digital devices, magazine readership is still quite high with 95% of people under 25 reading magazines.

Research also proves that print advertising is just as effective as ever with 8 in 10 adults taking action on newspaper ads and 63% of readers admitted to looking at ads as they read the paper. And because newspapers are the leading medium that consumers use for coupons, you know that you’re tapping into that niche market of extreme couponers or “coupon enthusiasts” as they prefer to be called.

Ultimately, it’s the real allure of print that makes people want to pick it up and read. Admit that you’ve felt this way at the salon or barbershop when you see a pile of magazines and newspapers. And you probably sit on the plane and flip through the in-flight magazine, don’t you? It’s the physical presence of print that piques our curiosity and holding it in our hand has its traditional, old-school charm.

Smartphones and other digital devices are still mostly associated with social media, instant messengers, and other forms of entertainment. When you see someone scrolling on their phone, your initial thought is not that they’re apparently reading a compelling article on blockchain technology or a forum on how our biometrics stored in the cloud makes our digital identities easy to steal and manipulate. No, you’re thinking that they’re watching silly cat videos on YouTube or swiping left or right on Tinder.

This is probably why 56% of customers find print marketing to be the most trustworthy type of marketing; it’s because we somehow still trust traditional channels such as magazines and newspapers more than we do technology. And if you’re aiming to improve your brand image and drive awareness, choosing to advertise on the channel that consumers say they trust the most should be part of your branding efforts.

On top of that, you’ll hold your readers’ attention longer when you advertise in print as it offers fewer distractions compared to its digital counterpart. When consumers see your print ad, they’re not tempted to open another tab, click a notification that tells them they’ve just received an email or an alert that someone has commented on their Facebook post.

There's always some risk involved in marketing, and it wouldn't hurt to give print advertising a shot. And the amount of attention you will receive may pleasantly surprise you once you incorporate print back into your brand strategy and marketing budget.